No More Learning

. . William translating 'The Prioress'
Tale'. "

"Saturday, 5th. William finished 'The Prioress' Tale', and after tea,
Mary and he wrote it out"

(Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal). --Ed. ]


[Footnote B: See 'Il Penseroso', l. 110. --Ed. ]


[Footnote C: Chaucer's phrase is "a litel clergeon," Wordsworth's, "a
little scholar;" but "clergeon" is a chorister, not a scholar. --Ed. ]


[Footnote D:

"Chaucer's text is:

'Thus hath this widow her litel child i-taught
Our blissful lady, Criste's moder deere,
To worschip ay, and he forgat it nought;
For sely child wil alway soone leere. '

'For sely child wil alway soone leere,' i. e. for a happy child will
always learn soon.
Wordsworth renders:

'For simple infant hath a ready ear,'

and adds:

'Sweet is the holiness of youth,'

extending the stanza to receive this addition from seven to eight
lines, with an altered rhyme-system. "

(Professor Edward Dowden, in the 'Transactions of the Wordsworth
Society', No. III. )--Ed. ]


[Footnote E: Chaucer's text is:

'This litel child his litel book lernynge
As he sat in the schole in his primere. '

Ed. ]


[Footnote F: Chaucer's text is:

'And in a tombe of marble stoones clere
Enclosed they this litel body swete. '

Ed. ]



* * * * *


SUB-FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT

[Sub-Footnote a: This was erased in the 'Errata' of 1820, but it
may be reproduced here. --Ed. ]




* * * * *





THE CUCKOO AND THE NIGHTINGALE


Translated 1801. [A]--Published 1841 [B]




I The God of Love--_ah, benedicite! _
How mighty and how great a Lord is he!
For he of low hearts can make high, of high
He can make low, and unto death bring nigh;
And hard hearts he can make them kind and free. [1] 5

II Within a little time, as hath been found,
He can make sick folk whole and fresh and sound:
Them who are whole in body and in mind,
He can make sick,--bind can he and unbind
All that he will have bound, or have unbound. 10

III To tell his might my wit may not suffice;
Foolish men he can make them out of wise;--
For he may do all that he will devise;
Loose livers he can make abate their vice,
And proud hearts can make tremble in a trice.